There must be love: Marcos couple celebrate 50 years

After traveling the globe and making homes around the world for decades, Tessie and Gerry Marcos have spent more than half a century of marital bliss together. Their story is one full of adventure and strength.

Both hailing from the Philippines, Tessie was a modern city girl while Gerry was a boy raised in the provinces. In the 1960s when Tessie was just 23 years old, she worked as a nurse in an exchange program in New Jersey. She had wanted to explore life outside of the Philippines. At the same time, Gerry joined the U.S. Navy at 27 years old, and was stationed on the East Coast as a sailor.

Falling in love with each other was unexpected, they say. At first, Tessie thought Gerry was interested in dating her roommate, but a small gesture changed their destiny, and she learned he only had eyes for her.

Tessie had gone out of town for a few days, and when she returned, she had found a card in her room from Gerry. It simply read — "I miss you." She couldn’t help but smile when she read those three little words.

Those words told her this handsome sailor wanted to be with her, and she wanted to be with him.

Their first date marked the beginning of their life of adventure. He traveled from Connecticut to New Jersey to pick her up for a night out. The two took a Greyhound into the "big city," New York City. They ate Chinese food and watched "Dr. Zhivago" at the now historic Loew’s Theater.

On Valentine’s Day 2017, more than 50 years after that first date, both of their gazes are focused on sweet memories as they reminisce on the film’s song "Lara’s Theme." Tessie says hearing the song makes her heart beat faster, remembering their honeymoon phase. "It brings back a lot of memories," Tessie says. "Every time it reminds me of falling in love with him for the first time."

Those notes lingered in the air that first night they fell in love. Now, as they talk about the beginning of their life together, they plan on purchasing the record of the soundtrack so those same notes can take them back to that romantic evening.

From that night the two were going steady, and they spent countless nights dancing the jitterbug and cha-cha at parties in the city and New Jersey. The couple knew they wanted to be each other's only dance partner forever.

But Tessie’s parents weren’t so thrilled about the match.

“My parents didn't like him," she says. "They didn’t want me to marry a Navy guy because I’d have to move around all the time."

But they loved each other too much to let anyone stop them from spending their lives together.

"Love is more important than anything else,” she says. “I wanted to be with him anyway."

On June 12, 1966, the two eloped at a courthouse in Newark, New Jersey.

Gerry later wrote a letter to Tessie’s parents to apologize for not following their wishes. He promised them he would always love and take care of their daughter.

After years full of excursions, in 1972, the couple returned to the Philippines for the first time and brought along their two daughters, Graciela and Griselda, to meet Tessie’s parents.

"My father hugged them, and I knew I was forgiven," Tessie says.

With the blessing of Tessie’s parents, the two celebrated a church wedding at Charleston Air Force Base Chapel in South Carolina, in June 1976.

The pair spent the next two decades exploring the planet, and moving 10 times around the US with their daughters and son Gary. The Navy life brought the Marcos family to new places, and the couple made a point of teaching their children to travel as much as possible.

"On a long weekend, I’d tell the kids to pack their bags and we’d go on a trip," Tessie says.

The family visited South Korea, Japan, the Philippines and trekked coast to coast in the continental US before they were stationed on what would become the couple’s permanent home — Guam.

On this little island they became members of the community, joining organizations and sending their children to Catholic schools. The two have gotten through everything together in the past five decades, from moving their growing family all over the world, to both surviving cancer.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 56. After a man assaulted Gerry at Chamorro Village in 2008, a body scan revealed Gerry had lung cancer. But not even deadly diseases could keep these two from spending eternity together.

They say their secret to success consists of three simple, yet powerful components — commitment, patience and love.

"It's a commitment to make it work," Tessie says.

"That's right," Gerry agrees, with his hand on his beloved's shoulder, looking into her eyes.

"Because if it's not a commitment, then what else is there? We have arguments, we have disagreements. As two separate human beings, it's just natural to agree to disagree, and sometimes I won't even talk to him," Tessie says. "He's the very patient quiet one and he'll wait until the tide subsides.

"And there must be love. If it’s just one of those fixed marriages or marriage of convenience, I don’t think it's going to last, because there must be love."

Although their children and five grandchildren don’t live on Guam anymore, and Tessie’s parents have died, the two still have each other. They also still keep their life full of adventure. In 2014 the took a family trip to Europe, and recently to California to see Disneyland and Universal Studios.

What remains constant after years of impermanent homes and family members moving on are Tessie and Gerry’s shared spirit of adventure, and most importantly, their love.